Hello Bloggers, we're almost there!
For us, October is blog month — and for music lovers, it’s Rocktober! So I thought it’d be fun to list the cities we visited and see which artists originated there.
- Manchester: Lisa Stansfield, Oasis, Simply Red, Take That
- Liverpool: the Beatles, Atomic Kitten, Dead or Alive, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)
- Dunfermline: Big Country
- Edinburgh: Bay City Rollers
- Aberdeen: Annie Lennox
- Glasgow: (We didn’t visit, as it was always pouring there, but it’s worth a mention music-wise!): Amy Macdonald, Simple Minds, Texas
- Linlithgow: Dougie Thomson, bassist of Supertramp, was born here!
- Perth: Nazareth (technically from nearby Dunfermline but often associated with the Perth area’s rock circuit)
- Dundee: Snow Patrol
- London: All Saints, Bananarama, Phil Collins, Culture Club, Elton John, Level 42, Queen, Spandau Ballet, Spice Girls, WHAM and Kim Wilde, to name just a few of my personal favorites.
If you had to pick your next destination based on your favorite artists, where would you travel?
In case you missed some of my contributions, here’s a recap of our UBC October 2025 travels, from Swiss rails to Scottish rain, with plenty of surprises (and fry-ups) in between.
🚄 Tracks, Tunnels & Travel
We covered about 1,350 kilometres (845 miles) by train — from our Swiss hometown all the way to northern England — hopping aboard the TGV Lyria, Eurostar (through the Channel Tunnel!), and Avanti West Coast.
👉 UBC October 2025 – Tracks, Tunnels & Travel
🇫🇷 Emily in Paris (and my missing veggies)
We found some of Emily’s charm in Paris — minus Gabriel’s bistro and, oddly, minus any vegetables on my plate. (Emily who? The one from Netflix — lighthearted, unrealistic, and always entertaining!)
UBC October 2025 – Emily in Paris (More or Less)
🏙️ Manchester: No Bins, No Benches, No Breaks
A city that impressed — and surprised us — with its measures to keep homeless people out of sight.
UBC October 2025 – Manchester: No Bins, No Benches, No Breaks
🎸 Liverpool: From Docks to Beatles Walks
Beatles tunes, pedestrian zones, and that unmistakable Liverpudlian energy.
UBC October 2025 – Liverpool: From Docks to Beatles Walks
☔ Carlisle: Left Standing in the Rain
Hidden parking, locked gates, and a downpour — our very own Fawlty Towers moment.
UBC October 2025 - Carlisle: Our very own Fawlty T...
💞 Gretna Green: Runaway Hearts and Wedding Bells
Once the go-to place for impulsive “I do’s” — no questions asked.
UBC October 2025 - Gretna Green: Runaway Hearts an...
🐐 Cashmere Confusion in Scotland
Cashmere everywhere — but not a single cashmere goat in sight!
UBC October 2025 - Cashmere: A wee bit of goat in ...
🧺 Dunfermline: Laundry Adventures (in the Rain)
Limited luggage space meets outdoor laundry — and, naturally, more rain.
UBC October 2025 - Dunfermline: Laundry Adventures...
🏰 Edinburgh: Castle Views, Crowds & Chores
Beautiful, yes — but exploring Edinburgh felt suspiciously like hard work.
UBC October 2025 - Edinburgh: Castle Views, Crowds...
👑 Linlithgow to Perth: Legends and Pitfalls
Lunch at a royal birthplace (and deathplace!) — plus another hotel misadventure.
UBC October 2025 - Linlithgow Legends and Perth Pi...
🐉 Loch Ness: Chasing Scotland’s Most Famous Monster
Storm Amy, mysterious waters, and the eternal question — monster or misunderstood creature?
UBC October 2025 - Loch Ness: Chasing Scotland’s M...
🥃 Inverness: 160 Raining Steps to Lunch
Tartan, whisky barrels, and a meal that finally fit the Scottish stereotype.
UBC October 2025 - Inverness: 160 Raining Steps to...
🏖️ Aberdeen: From Ice Arena to Absurdities
Lovely town — though the missing trash cans and the “bring your own spork” situation were… something else.
UBC October 2025 - Aberdeen: From Ice Arena to Abs...
🌕 Bridging the Highlands and the Moon
A breathtaking Harvest Moon as we crossed from Scotland back into England.
UBC October 2025 - Bridging the Highlands and the ...
🛍️ Trains, Temptations & Temporary Restraint
Is it still shopping if you don’t actually buy anything? Asking for a friend.
UBC October 2025 - Trains, Temptations, and Tempor...
🍳 A Fry-Up Too Far
A small rant (served hot) about the British passion for all things fried.
UBC October 2025 - British Food: A Fry-up too far
🍁 Where’s Fall?
From “back to school” to Christmas trees overnight — do the British skip autumn altogether?
UBC October 2025 – The British Aren’t Falling
🚗 Driving in Great Britain
Left side, right brain — and a few moments of pure confusion.
UBC October 2025 – Driving in Great Britain
🏙️ London Clean-Up Act
When did they tidy up London’s city centre? It’s almost suspiciously spotless.
UBC October 2025 – London Sightseeing
🍔 Lunch, Laughs & a Little Rock ’n’ Roll
Yes, I committed a tourist crime — eating American food in England. No regrets.
UBC October 2025 – Lunch, Laughs & a Little Rock ’n’ Roll
And that’s a wrap on Rocktober and UBC Thanks so much for travelling along... from Swiss rails to Scottish rain, and for reading, liking, and commenting along the way. Your company made this journey even more fun, and I loved sharing a few tunes, views, and stories with you.
Until our next adventure!
PS: Don't forget to tell me what your favorite UK city is, based on the artist originating from there!
It certainly was an interesting month. I really enjoyed reading about your trip and learned a lot.
ReplyDeleteI liked that you recapped the month by putting links to your posts for this month. Great job and see you in future challenges.
For us who participated in the UBC, we all did it, yay! To answer your question, if I had to pick my next destinations to see my favorite artists, it would be Manchester for Simply Red, Liverpool for the Beatles and OMD, Glasgow for Simple Minds, and London for Phil Collins, Elton John, and Spandau Ballet. Well, see you in the next challenge.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on another fun UBC Tamara! I enjoyed traveling with you to so many places even if just through photos. So much talent in the different cities. My destination for my favorite group isn't too far to travel! I'd go to Fort Payne, Alabama where the group Alabama is from. They started playing for tips in a small bar in Myrtle Beach, SC and that's where they became famous. They even built an Alabama theater here!
ReplyDeleteI loved traveling along with you and seeing so many planes through your eyes!
ReplyDeleteI immediately thought visual art - would love to visit Emily Carr's Vancouver Island again!
And it would be so fun to visit my granddaughter KK at the Uni in Liverpool while she's there fall term!
See you in January
Nadya
Congratulations Tamara on doing so well in UBC as using. I really liked your London post and your interesting take on the food there.On the music seen I recognize only a few names 😉.
ReplyDelete